New Jersey Soldiers
Return
Dec. 11 marked a historical day for the New Jersey Army National Guard. The final
group of Soldiers returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom III returned to American
soil – just in time for the holidays..

New Jersey
Guards Europe
Imagine being alerted and told you were deploying to Europe. Not bad, you say.
But then imagine being told it would be for more than 18 months, that you would
be working with a large number of Soldiers from different units..

177th Hosts 9/11 Flag
Senior Airmen Lakia Smith (front) and Corey McPherson (back), both of the
177th Fighter Wing, look at the 177th and the 108th Air Refueling Wing
unit patches on the 9/11 Memorial Flag following a ceremony at the 177th
Dec. 10..

Rabbi Aids Katrina Troops
Capt. Yaakov B. Bindell, a
chaplain with the 108th Air Refueling
Wing spent the month of October
in Louisiana where he provided
spiritual support for the Jewish members of the armed forces
during the “High Holy Days” – Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur..

TAG's Message
As the dedicated and patriotic citizen-soldiers
of our National Guard remain fully involved
in both homeland defense and homeland security
operations, we continue to move forward in
the direction a new, more modern, leaner, meaner,
more capable military organization..

Brigade CSM Message
The past couple of years
have been very busy and a
exciting time for the Soldiers
that I serve with in the 50th
Infantry Brigade. A tempo that
has touched every member
of the Army and Air National
Guard around the State..

MOS TransformationTransformation is a process in which the Army is
reconfigured to increase its capability of conducting rapid
offensive, defensive, stability and support operations in the
context of Joint and Combined Operations. It creates a
leaner, more agile, self-sustaining force..

Front Cover:42nd
DISCOM Returns -
Lt. Col. Roche Switlick and Command Sgt. Maj. Richie
Bammart lead the way as members of the 50th
Main Support Battalion return to New Jersey from Iraq. Photo by Lt. Col.
Roberta Niedt,
NJDMAVAPAO. (Click image to enlarge)

* * *

Inside Cover: Home At Last -
Soldiers of the 50th Main Support Battalion
shake hands with the New Jersey
Army National Guard leadership as they
return to the United States after a year in
Iraq Nov. 1. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Mark
Olsen, NJDMAVA/PA. (Click image to enlarge)

* * *

GUARDLIFE is published bi-monthly
using federal funds under provisions of AR
360-1 and AFI 35-101 by the Public
Affairs Office of the New Jersey Department
of Military and Veterans Affairs for
all members of the New Jersey Army
and Air National Guard. The views and
opinions expressed herein are not necessarily
those of the Department of
Defense, the Army, the Air Force or the
National Guard Bureau.